By Dr. Peter Saidu Turay, London,United Kingdom.
Climate change and global warming are topical issues that have
recently attracted the attention of politicians, businesses and decision
makers all over the world.
Full understanding of this phenomenon is
required in order to inform decision making processes that could mitigate
all possible deleterious effects arising from inaction or delays in
employing viable policies in environmental protection and sustainable
development and planning issues; and, assist governments in fulfilling their
international obligations relating to multilateral agreements on this
subject.
Hence, the need for this study that was commissioned by the High
Commissioner of Sierra Leone to the United Kingdom, Mr. Melvin Chalobah, on
behalf of His Excellency, the President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Koroma,
whose attendance at the last Summit of Heads of Commonwealth Governments
(CHOGM 2007) and active participation in the Climate Change debate was
frustrated by the lack of technical information and briefing by the relevant
personnel in Sierra Leone.
This study is therefore aimed at providing the
President, and all senior government officials, with hands-on information on
Sierra Leone’s plight in relation to the subject. The study considers data
generated by WRI and climatic observations of a third party (FAO) and the
author of this report (Agrienviron).
Climate Change and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone - a country with a hot and humid tropical climate - is located on the northern limit of the equatorial rainforest zone. Rated as one of the most humid countries in Africa, it is well watered with a mean annual rainfall of 2526 mm/yr (ranging from 1900 to 4000 mm of rainfall year).
Sierra Leone enjoys two distinct seasons - dry
and wet - which used to last for six months, each, but has changed in the
last couple of years with a pronounced dry season now lasting from November
to January, instead of the traditional November to April . In fact, one not
very recent FAO report accounts for a pronounced dry season that lasts from
December to February - i.e. for just 3 months .
This new trend has been
attributed to the impact of global warming as a subsequent change in the
country’s climate1. Thus, climate change - a process caused by global
warming, which is due to increases in the temperature of our planet by
greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2), emitted and trapped
in the atmosphere of the earth - has impacted on the pattern of our seasons
with a socio-economic and political price to be paid, if urgent action is
not taken by all governments to mitigate its effect.
Carbon dioxide and other GHGs emitted, due to human activity, are the
culprits of the current climate change syndrome that has become a topical
and very sensitive political subject worldwide.
Therefore, in a bid to
address this problem, this quick-study presents a clear report on the
country’s CO2 emissions profile for the period 1950 to 1998. Data relating
to post 1998 emissions is yet to be generated but the trend is likely to be
similar to, or slightly higher than the 1998 level, but less significant in
comparison to emissions in developed countries, on account of the relatively
low industrial and commercial activities of the country’s economically
viable population.
Trends
According to the data obtained from the World Resources Institute
(WRI), total emissions (in thousand of metric tons of CO2) in 1998 were 522
for Sierra Leone as opposed to 515,001 for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and 24,
215, 376 for the World. Emissions as a percentage of global CO2 production,
since 1990 were 0%, for Sierra Leone, and 2.1%, for SSA; thus, qualifying
the country’s status of low CO2 emitter and the satisfaction of her legally
binding target under the Kyoto Protocol to cut GHG emissions to 1990 levels.
According to the data, the main sources of emission in Sierra Leone are
liquid fuels and the cement manufacturing industry, which account for 90%
and 10% emissions, respectively.
Even though the use of biomass (solid fuel) is wide spread, especially in
the rural areas of Sierra Leone, no data is available for this source of
emission at the moment (Tab. 1 and Fig. 1). Further investigation in
locating viable data, which is obviously in existence in the relevant
departments of universities and research institutions, in the country, is
highly recommended.
It would have been interesting to comment on the emissions derived from
various sectors of production such as energy industries, public electricity,
heat production, motor-vehicle industry, manufacturing and construction
industries, transportation, residential and other sectors but this data is
unavailable and therefore further research in these areas is strongly
recommended.
The reviewed data also accounts for the contribution of other (GHGs) greenhouse gases (i.e. non CO2 air pollution in thousand metric tons) for 1995 only. Again, it can be seen that these emissions are relatively lower in comparison to regional and world levels, although action is required to mitigate their adverse effect on both the environment and public health of the population.
The strongest indicator of Sierra Leone’s green status is the per capita CO2
emission in relation to regional and global emissions for the periods 1950,
1975 and 1998 (see Fig. 2). As seen from the graph in figure 2, per capita
CO2 is reflected in thousands of metric tons but the level of per capita
emissions remained unchanged in 1950, 1975 and 1998 at 0 (in SL) and 1.0 (in
SSA) while that of the world increased from 2.3 (in 1950) to 4.1 (in 1975
and 1998), respectively (Fig. 2).
Finally the trends are summarised in yet another account for the entire period of 1960 -1998 to reflect a relative and realistic picture of the state-of-art of
emissions in Sierra Leone in terms of total, per capita and per dollar of
GDP CO2 emissions. Similar trends are observed for all three types of
emissions. The graphs describe a similar tendency of behaviour with four
high peaks in 1960, 1970, 1978 and 1985.
Thus, characterising periods of active economic performance with a slump
that started in 1988 and ended in 1990 when the civil war started in Sierra
Leone.
While all three types of CO2 emissions rose steadily thereafter, per capita
CO2 emission stopped rising in 1992 and remained constant, at the 1962
level, until 1998. Per capita and total CO2 emissions remain at the 1968
and 1969 levels, respectively, according to the data (Fig. 3).
Multilateral Agreement Status (as of September 2002): Sierra Leone ratified
the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and
became a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol in 1995. The Vienna Convention was
signed in 2001.
Conclusions:
1. Climate change and global warming are topical issues requiring a full
understanding to inform decision making processes that could mitigate all
possible deleterious effects arising from inaction or delays in the echelons
of government and all governance-related areas. This study has been
conducted to inform the President and other senior decision makers about
climate change and the state-of-art of emissions levels in Sierra Leone.
2. Sierra Leone is a hot and humid tropical country that has been affected
by global warming in the form of climate change. This phenomenon in turn
has seriously affected the seasons of the country.
3. The very pronounced dry season, which usually lasts for 6 months, now
lasts for just 3 to 4 months on average.
4. Further research on solid fuels (biomass) and other sectors of production
is required for the acquisition of data to validate the performance of these
sectors and to confirm the country’s green status in terms of CO2 and other
GHGs’ pollution.
5. The country’s CO2 emission profile for the period 1950 to 1998 reveals a
relatively “green status” for Sierra Leone as a low CO2 emitter in relation
to global CO2 emissions; with the strongest indicator of this status being
the per capita CO2 emissions and the non CO2 greenhouse gases.
6. While similar patterns of behaviour are observed for all three types of
CO2 emissions (i.e. total, per capita and per dollar of GDP) with four peak
periods in 1960, 1970, 1978 and 1985; the final 1998 levels remain at the
1962, 1968 and 1972 levels for per capita, per dollar of GDP and total CO2
emissions, respectively. Thus qualifying Sierra Leone for full
participation in the clean development mechanism (CDM) having achieved
levels of emissions that are well below the 1990 target of emissions
recommended by the Kyoto Protocol; and finally,
7. Sierra Leone is a signatory to both the Kyoto Protocol (1995) and Vienna
Convention (2001) - international treaties that provide the means [for
countries with low emissions] to monetise the benefits of reducing GHGs and
protecting the ozone layer through the carbon finance or carbon credit
schemes.
Recommendations:
1. Develop the database on the use of biomass (solid fuel) by conducting
further investigations - i.e. locating viable data, which is obviously in
existence in the relevant departments of universities and research
institutions in the country; and, compile the information for use by local,
regional and international institutions and agencies.
2. Develop the database on emissions derived from various sectors of
production (energy industries, public electricity, heat production,
motor-vehicle industry, manufacturing and construction industries,
transportation) and residential communities;
3. Increase conservation efforts by creating more green belts (protected
forests, national parks, agro-forestry and other green agricultural
projects);
4. Increase use of renewable sources of energy (solar, bio fuels, wind,
tidal and thermal);
5. Boost environmental protection (via awareness campaigns, monitoring and
enforcement); and
6. Take advantage of Sierra Leone’s low emissions by way of active
exploitation of the benefits of the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the
Kyoto Protocol, which allows the country to sell carbon credits to companies
and governments of high polluting industrial nations;
7. Embed climate change strategy in the strategies of all key production
sectors by formulating a national strategy covering all sectors of
production and residential communities.
Editor’s Note: This report is the first in the series under the theme “understanding climate change issues” and PV admits that references, tables and figures cited have been edited to meet with the configurational requirements of our software. However, in the interest of further reading or investigation, readers are referred to a full copy of the report, including tables and figures, which could be accessed later on at the following sites: www.sliip.org and www.agrienviron.com .
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